An Encounter of Sorts
by Angeladdict
Summary: Cordelia is left outside the mall after they defeat the Judge. And who should she bump into? Angelus. Gasp! Will she survive?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of these characters. ***Sobs* **Joss Whedon does. *Cries in corner*

Authors Note: This is probably a one-shot story, but I could continue it . . . IF you review. Please? :)

Summary: It was a dark and stormy night . . .

After the fight, and they picked up all of the disgusting body parts, they stood outside the mall parking lot. Cordelia rolled her eyes in disgust when Buffy told them she hadn't killed Angel. Great, the psycho-vamp was still up and running. Just what they needed.

Giles turned to Buffy. "I'll drive you home, Buffy." Buffy nodded, looking distracted.

Cordelia watched them leave. Fantastic, she was going to have to hitch a ride with Xander. Oz was driving Willow home and she doubted he'd want her there. Cordelia flipped her hair and turned around. Xander was nowhere to be seen, his mom's car was gone. Oz's van started to pull out.

She ran after it, desperately, "No wait! Guys, I don't have my car!" She swung her arms wildly, trying to catch their attention.

The van disappeared around the corner. Great! She was stuck in the middle of the night, sixteen miles from her house, with no cell phone.

She kicked a can out of her way, angrily and headed over to the she fished in her purse and pulled out her wallet. She had nine pennies! Cordelia Chase, who was always prepared, didn't have enough money to make one fricking phone call! Cordelia mentally kicked herself as she remembered where all her change had gone. She'd lent Xander all of her change because he'd wanted some chocolate. And the guy re-payed her by leaving her in an abandoned parking lot.

She jumped when someone tapped her shoulder. A hand held out a dime. She turned to the owner gratefully,"Oh _thank _you! You are a life- Angel!"

Angel was leaning against the booth, nonchalantly, smiling at her. Cordelia jumped backwards and shut the pay-phone's door. She recoiled at his inviting, casual smile. Buffy was right, he was someone else entirely.

His smile widened at her discomfort and he said breezily "It's interesting."

Cordelia's eyes narrowed and after a moment she asked suspicously "What is?"

"That the people who you help kill monsters _every fricking day_, could just leave you here. At night. In the middle of nowhere. With an evil vampire on the loose. Not the best thank-you." Angel said.

Cordelia felt annoyed that the vampire had nailed it so well.

"It's not like they did it on purpose or anything." If they had, she'd have been all for Angel eating them.

"How's that feel, Cordy? That you; Cordelia Chase, could be so easily forgotten? I'm betting not very nice."

"Pssh, easily. There's just been a lot going on . . ."

"You sure bout that Cordelia? Even your boy-toy left you here. He made sure Buffy got home safely. And Willow. Don't tell me that doesn't bother you. That he cares more about Buffy and Willow then the girl he's groping in the janitor's closet?!"

"How do you even . . . Nobody knows that we . . ." Cordelia stuttered, trying to regain her senses.

" Please. His scent is all over that wonderfully sculpted body. I notice a lot more then you'd think."

Angel's eyes roamed. Cordelia shifted uncomfortably. Her hand fingered the cross she wore around her neck, similar to the one Buffy had.

Angel straightened up. That tiny movement made Cordelia regain her senses. He was an evil vampire who'd tried to kill Willow and here she was chit-chatting with him. Angel noticed the change in Cordelia's features.

"I never told you, but you have an intoxicating scent. A special flavor, if you will. And mixed with all this fear . . .**Yummy!**" He banged the door loudly and she let out a quiet gasp.

"I _was _gonna kill Willow, but you'll do too." He added inspecting her.

Cordelia's pulse quickened. She backed up and pressed against the wall, mind racing frantically.

"It won't inspire any of that deep sorrow I was going for. You may not even be missed. But hey! A life's a life." He said, spreading his arms wide. "Maybe I'll leave you outside of Harris's house. Or maybe your car?" He mused.

Cordelia barely heard him. She let out an incoherent whimper. She was going to die.

"I wonder how many people will show up at your funeral. Do you think your parents will bother to go?"

The fear pulsing through Cordelia was replaced with anger. She was Cordelia Chase dammit! She wasn't going to cower in a corner while some vampire with over-gelled hair taunted her. She straightened and grabbed the handle of the door. Angel tugged on it and it took all of her strength to hold it shut. She breathed deeply. They played tug of war for a few minutes and then Angel relinquished the handle.

Cordelia couldn't resist a satisfied smirk in his direction. Which was probably a bad idea. Angel gave a shrug and then turned around. Cordelia let out a deep breathe, and then screamed when he swung back around and punched the glass.

"You really think you're stronger then a vampire?" He asked grinning.

Cordelia dug in her purse quickly. She pulled out a vial of holy water. Uncapping it shakily, she pointed it at him.

"D-don't come any c-closer!" She warned.

He gave a crazed laugh. "Very scary."

"I mean it." Cordelia choked out.

He strutted towards the door and pulled on it again. Cordelia scrambled to grab it, the vial of holy water crashing to the floor and shattering into a million pieces. He pulled the door open easily, jerking her released the handle and Angel swung the door towards her. The door hit her and she fell backwards, banging her head against one of the glass walls.

Cordelia leaned against the glass, head spinning, and eyes blurry. Angel walked forwards.

She tried to kick him. He dodged it easily.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." He shook a finger disaprovingly. "Play nice, Cordy."

Her jaw clenched angrily and her hand shot out. It connected with his jaw with as much force as she could muster. She swore when her hand felt like she'd slammed it against a wall.

Angel worked his jaw back and forth and then chuckled. "Wow, Cordy. Didn't think you had it in you."

Ignoring his comment, she kneed him in the groin and then bolted around him. She'd pushed the door open when he grabbed her and slammed her against the glass again. Cordelia slid to the floor and looked up at him fearfully.

Her life wasn't flashing before her eyes like it was supposed too. She was stuck in the cold, harsh here and now. Tremors were running up and down her body, fear pulsating through every vein.

Angel was grinning widely again. He tossed something silver in the air and caught it. Still grinning, he dropped it onto the ground next to her. It was a dime.

"See ya around Cordy." He said with a tip of his head. Then he turned and strode away, humming to himself.

Cordelia stared at the dime for several long seconds, breathing deeply. Then she collected herself, fixed her hair, and picked up the small circular dime.


	2. Chapter 2

_She hadn't told anyone. It was surprising. Normally, she'd have taken every opportunity to use this kind of thing to her advantage. To guilt trip Buffy and the others about what terrible people they were for leaving her. But every time she opened her mouth, the words disappeared. Images replaced them. Of his face, of those eyes, of his smile. So she hadn't told anyone._

_She pretended everything was fine, acted normal. It was a one-time thing after all. But she had nightmares. _Every night. _Nightmares where he was there. Where he changed his mind on a whim. And she was helpless and he was coming closer and closer and she could see how she was going to die. She woke up panting and covered in a sheen of sweat _every night.

_But it was over. Just a bad memory that would grow fainter and fainter as time past. Soon those eyes would stop haunting her. And then she found out he could get in her car. She could feel her throat close up and the breath leave her. He could get in her car._

_And then she found it. She'd left her car in the parking lot when she went into the library. And when she opened the driver's door there it was. An envelope with a drawing of her inside. She was laughing at something someone next to her was saying. The picture in her hands was shaking so hard she could barely see it. She burnt it that night. And she didn't tell anyone. The next night Buffy helped her dis-invite her car. And that was that._

_And then Jenny was found, dead in Giles's apartment. And the first thought in her head was 'That could have been me' She could have been the one with the life-less, staring eyes, lying somewhere. But she wasn't, and she couldn't say why. She had seen Giles's face afterwards. She felt pain just by looking at him. He was empty. She wondered if Xander would have worn the same expression, if it had been her. Part of her doubted it. _

_She'd taken to carrying a stake. She hadn't seen him for weeks. Buffy was feeling sick so Willow and Xander had the brilliant idea they should patrol in her stead. So, like the good little girlfriend, Cordelia followed suit. It was cold so she wore a long sleeved shirt with a jacket, her hair out of her face. They'd been walking for awhile when they rounded a corner and Buffy leapt out at them, looking insane and not in a good way. They talked for a short while, and Cordelia put in her two cents, half-heartedly insulting Buffy. _

_And then she saw him. Across from her, a little ways away, smiling that smile of his that froze her immediately. She opened her mouth to warn the others but no sound came out. The words were gone. He said something she couldn't hear. And then he was running towards her. And she was frozen. _

_He collided with her, his hands grasping her arms and they toppled. She let out an involuntary grunt as her back collided with the ground painfully. She could feel his breath on her ear which surprised her because he didn't need to breathe. Terror seized her and she wanted to be gone from the moment. To disappear into the ground. And then he was pulled off of her and she got up and she was shaking. Buffy and Angel were fighting but it was all a blur and she couldn't catch her breath. She could still feel him, feel the weight of him on her. _

_And then he was gone and her shaking subsided and her mouth started to work again._


End file.
